Amphibian steering mechanism



July 23, 1946. D. R. RANKIN ETAL '2,404,528

AMIHIBIANiSTEERING' MECHANISM i Y Filed oct. 19, 1942 '2 sheets-'sheet 1" uy 23, E946.

D. R. RANKIN ET AL. I EAW-i252 AMPHIBIAN STEERING MEGHANI SM Filed Oct. 19, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 23, 1946 AMPHIBIAN STEERING MEoHANisM Dan R. Rankin and George A. Reynolds, Jr., Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to Food Machinery Corporation, San. Jose, Calif., a corporationof Delaware Application October 19, 1942, Serial No. 462,484

6 Claims.

"This invention relates to the art, of steering amphibious land and Water craft while in the water. It is especially useful on amphibious tanks.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved steering mechanism. for use on amphibious tanks which will be relatively simple and require a minimum of mechanism for controlling the same. l

It is another object of the invention to provide a steering mechanism for controlling amphibious military tanks in the water which functions without any special control apparatus and merely by selective driving of the track laying belts provided on opposite sides of the tank.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device for steering amphibious military tanks in the water which comprises, in addition to equipment already provided on the tank necessary for its locomotion on land andY in the water, only parts which are rigidly fixed on the body of the tank.

I'he manner of accomplishing the foregoingv objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of an amphibious military tank equippedwith a, preferred embodiment of the steering device of the invention, said tank being shown while turning in response to the operation of said device.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan of the right hand rudder group of the invention,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of Fig. 2 taken in the direction of arrow 3.

Fig. 4 is a right side elevational View of Fig. 2 taken in the direction of arrow 4.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical vertical sectional view taken on line 5,-5 of Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the amphibian tank l shown in Fig. 1 has a buoyant hull vII embodying an engine compartment I2 in which a radial engine I3 is housed and a control cabin I4 located at the front end of the craft. Disposed along opposite sides of the hull are track laying mechanisms I and IB, these being driven by the motor I3 through a drive shaft I1, a transmission I8, a differential I9, shafts 2| and 22, and sprockets 23 and 24. Shafts 2| and 22 are provided with brakes 25 and 26 which are controlled respectively by levers 21 and 28 provided in the control cabin I4. Thus, pulling on the lever 21 applies the brake 25 to retard the operation of the track laying mechanism I5 and to cause mechanism I6 effect. I

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, each of the mechanisms l I5 and I6 has a track forming belt 35 which is provided with an endless series of grousers 36, this belt travelling upwardly around an idler sprocket 31 at the stern of the craft. As-

the grousers 36 come out of the water in rising upwardly toward the sprocket 31, they create a stream of water 38 which at all .times is discharged rearwardly from this mechanism through the air above the water sustaining the craft.

Fixed as by welding to the rear face of the hull I I` along the upper and outer corner edges thereof are angle irons forming horizontal and vertical flanges 39 and 39. Welded onto the'sides of the hull II and extending outwardly over the mechanisms l5 and I6 are guard plates 40. These are flush with the top of the rear corners of the engine compartment I2 of the hull and extend rearwardly flushwith the rear edges of flanges 39. Each guard plate 40 has welded to its outer side edge to extend downwardly therefrom, a gusset guard 4I, the forward edge of which is preferably concentric with the sprocket 31, and the rear edge of which lies in the same vertical plane with rear edges` of the flanges 39 and the plates 40.

Secured to each plate 40, as by Welding its' front edge to the bottom of said plate, and with its rear edge lying. against and flush with the rear edge vof said plate 40 is a horizontally inclined member 42.

Mounted on the rear upper corners of the hull II are water deflector devices 43 and 43', which are reverse duplicates of each other. Each of these devices includes top and bottom plates 44 I and 45 which are welded to a relatively deepouter def-lector blade 46 and to inner deector blades 48, 49 and 50. Each of the devices 43 and 43 is attached to the tank I0 by bolts 54 which fasten it securely to the adjacent anges 39 and 39", and

Vto rear edges of the adjacent plate 40 and gusset 3B discharged rearwardly from the grousers 36 of the track laying mechanisms l5 and I6,

These streams of water are thus deflected lnwardly resulting in a considerable side thrust being set up vagainst each of the devices 43 andA to operate with incr-easedv speed. On the other hand, releasing lever 21` and pulling. on the lever 28 has the opposit V43' when both of the mechanisms l5 and I6 are operating. When one of these mechanisms is slowed, however, by pulling one of the levers 21 Y or 28, which also causesthe other mechanism to `operate even more rapidly, the unbalanced thrust thus developed at the rear end of the hull Il by the stream-of water 38 from the trackA laying mechanism which is running at an accelerated mechanism I6. The result of this is to turn the l craft l to the left. The reverse operation accomplished by releasing lthe lever 21 and pulling on the lever 28 produces exactly the opposite elect. Y n

The hollow construction of the outer blades 4S of the devices 43 and 43" is for purposes of givln-g these deflectors strength to resist the shocks tot which they are subjected 'when the tank. l0 backs up into brush, trees or jungle growth. The purpose of making these outer blades longer than theinner blades 48, 49, and 50 is to catch and conflnethe streams 38 from spraying out lateral- 1y sideways from the tank. Y

Another very useful function performed byv the devices 43 and 43 is to confine and deflect the water streams'38 downwardly as well as in-V wardly from the paths along which they are l travellingwhen they impinge against these de vices. This greatly reduces the visibility of these streams and diminishes the ability of the enemy to detect the approach of these tanks, especially where theyare operating in phosphorescent water at night. Where a tank carries armor on the control cabin I4 'it is highly desirable to depress the rearof the tank, as this increases the operat- 1 ing efficiency `of the tank in the surf and at sea.

The inclined members 42 deflect rearwardly 1 the portions of streams 38 engaging these members, thereby decreasing the lift on the rear I end of the tank which would otherwise be caused by controlling these streams and utilizing them in steering the tank.

complished by manipulating the controls for the 3 track laying mechanisms which are a part of the ordinary propulsiva equipment.

clear that the means we have provided for this approach of tanks equipped with our invention.V

vWe claim:

It is Vfurther of said craft, said means in their operation discharging streams of water rearwardly through the air above the surface of the water sustaining said craft; deflectors mounted on said craft and fixed in the path of said streams of water to deflect thesame oppositely; and means for selectively controlling the operation of said propulsion means to effect a steering of said craft by said deflectors.

1 diminishes the ability of the enemy to detect the 1: In an amphibian craft, the combination of:

the opposite sides of said hull; an endless series l a hull; right and left hand track laying belts on l 4. In aY dirigible 4water craft the combination of propulsion means provided on opposite sides of said craft, said means in their operation discharging streams of water rearwardly throughY the air above the surface ofthe water sustaining said craft; fixed deectors mounted on said craft and disposed in the path of said streams of water to deflect -said streams sideways in opposite directions; and means for selectively controlling the operation of said propulsion means toleffect.. a steering of said craft by said deflectors.

5. In a dirigible water craft, the combination of: a hull; right and left hand propulsion means provided on opposite lsides of vsaid hull, each of said means in its operation discharging a stream of water rearwardly through the air, above the surface of the water sustaining said craft; means for controlling the operation of said right and left hand propulsion Ymeans, to drive these simul-v taneously orV separately; and deflector-means fixedin the paths of said streams so asr to deflect the latter inwardly, whereby the driving of one of said propulsion means at a higher speed v than the other causes an unbalanced turning m0 ment to be produced by the reaction of the de-v flector means to the stream produced byY the faster moving propulsion means. Y

6. In a dirigible water craft, the combination of: .a hull; right and left hand propulsion means provided on opposite sides of said hull, `each of said means in its operation dischargingV water rearwardly; means for controlling the operation' GEORGE A. REYNOLDS, JR.4 s 

